Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 5, 2020

Thought Leadership: Are efforts made to share / promote your firm’s intellectual capital in a helpful manner that’s not directly self-serving? Are white papers just poorly disguised sales collateral?). Acid Test: Do other opinion leaders reference your firm’s ideas or contributions?

RFP 165

RFP Thought Leadership Opinions Validation 165

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

Because most companies believe their situation and the challenges they face are unique, suggesting otherwise usually will end the sales process. What’s important to remember is that, regardless of the target industry, your credentials are only one part of the sales process.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Peer-to-peer Thought Leadership B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 6, 2016

White papers and editorial content are poorly disguised sales pitches, and offer no helpful information or insights. Lots of time is devoted to winning industry recognition; far less time is invested in managing the customer experience or supporting the sales force. Sales reps don’t know how to convert their leads.

Marketing Management 100

Marketing Management Paid Search Agency Marketing & Strategy Paper 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 8, 2018

There are certainly many PR firms that help clients to generate earned media coverage based on bona fide thought leadership and subject matter expertise. All of these tactics are intended to suggest that the client is a safe choice, simply because they’ve been mentioned in a respected media source.

SME 100

SME PR Ideal Customer Profiles Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

B2B companies – professional service firms in particular – can benefit by creating a culture similar to the Marine Corps; training all employees with basic marketing & sales skills that can help the firm to grow and succeed. Every Employee a Sales Rep” will not be achieved simply by establishing firm-wide mandates.

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales Cross-Selling Work Management B2B Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 24, 2011

Instead, it engages the prospect in a meaningful dialogue that (1) addresses their specific situation; (2) demonstrates – on an immediate, first-hand basis — the seller’s understanding of that situation; and (3) validates the seller’s ability to help the potential buyer.

Work Management 100

Work Management Validation B2B Sales Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 31, 2018

Inappropriate Follow-up: These companies will send the firm’s standard “package” of sales and marketing materials, and then plug prospects into a mailing list to receive whatever information the marketing department generates…regardless of its relevance to a prospect’s specific needs.

Work Management 100

Work Management Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services CRM 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 23, 2017

Thought Leadership: Are efforts made to share / promote your firm’s intellectual capital in a helpful manner that’s not directly self-serving? Are white papers just poorly disguised sales collateral?). Acid Test: Do other opinion leaders reference your company’s ideas or contributions?

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Thought Leadership Opinions Validation 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Leadership: Are efforts made to share / promote your firm’s intellectual capital in a helpful manner that’s not directly self-serving? Are white papers just poorly disguised sales collateral?). Do clients identify themselves by name and company?). Acid Test: Do other opinion leaders reference your firm’s ideas or contributions?

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Enterprise Management Branding Brand Identity 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

I need interesting ideas, not sales promotion,” my Blog would scream. Few people visited, only employees commented on posts, and there were no leads in sight. My disappointment grew, but my Blog demanded even more content. “I We grew further apart. Weeks, and sometimes months, passed between posts. Now, my blog and I are the office joke.

Merchandising 100

Merchandising Thought Leadership Promotion Social Media 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Sales cycle management is particularly challenging for B2B firms, and for professional services firms in particular, where top-of-mind awareness (getting people to remember you) is a critical part of business development. The Key to Making the Short List.

Sales Cycle 100

Sales Cycle Marketing Management Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

It’s not a sales pitch or report card. Your website will generate investor interest by allowing visitors to draw their own conclusions about the firm and its potential to help them achieve their goals. Leverage your firm’s intellectual capital.

Transparency 100

Transparency Thought Leadership Planning Enterprise Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 10, 2015

It’s not a sales pitch or report card. Your website will generate investor interest by allowing visitors to draw their own conclusions about the firm and its potential to help them achieve their goals. But increasingly, investors are demanding transparency.

Practices 100

Practices Planning Enterprise Management Transparency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 27, 2013

White paper sponsors sought to educate, inform, raise comfort levels and eventually initiate sales conversations with prospective customers. Unfortunately, what began as a legitimate and sometimes helpful marketing tactic has morphed into poorly disguised sales promotion, packaged in a plain vanilla wrapper.

Paper 100

Paper Paid Search Agency Advertorials Allocation 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

In response to a Consumer Reports article on home water filters which it considered incorrect and misleading, National Safety Associates distributed to its sales force a copy of its president’s letter to the editor of that publication; thereby helping company reps to handle the negative publicity about their products.

Media 100

Media Press Paid Search Agency Mobile Advertising 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 7, 2016

Sales Collateral : Investors and allocators wince in pain when they hear the word “pitch deck.” Sales Process: If you think this means endlessly sending out emails and making phone calls, you’ve flunked this part of the quiz as well. Or they think the sales and marketing function is beneath their station.

Social Media 100

Social Media Work Management Marketing Management Media 100